Michelle's Review: The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

Monday, November 14, 2011

ARC: 261 pagesPublisher: Little, BrownRelease Date: October 17, 2011ISBN: 9780316097390Source of my copy: publisherSeries: noneSynopsis (from Goodreads)The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband died five years ago, Gaby's children have drifted apart, each one preoccupied by the turbulence in their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married-and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day—she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays.But the wedding isn't Gaby's only surprise—she has one more gift for her children, and it could change all their lives forever. With deeply affecting characters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING is a fresh look at family and the magic of the season.

Michelle's Review:James Patterson is on my list of authors to read so when I was given the chance to review his newest novel The Christmas Wedding I jumped at the chance. The plot line is interesting too, about a woman, Gaby, who has been widowed for 5 years and her grown children have drifted apart. When three different men proposed to Gaby, she decided to have a Christmas wedding and invited all her children. The surprise was that she won't reveal the name of the groom until the wedding day.

The Christmas Wedding was a quick read for me. For most of the book, the chapters alternate in third-person perspective between Gaby and her children. We see little snippets of what was going on in their lives and their problems. Then, on the last third of the book, it shifts to Gaby's first-person perspective. I am not sure how I feel about the changing in the perspective. I didn't particularly enjoy Gaby's voice--her character seemed too perfect as well and I didn't find her particularly likable. I would've preferred it to be in third-person all the way through--the last third didn't grab me as much as when the story was focused more on her children. I wished their stories weren't so rushed and were more developed.

As for Gaby not revealing who she'll marry, I thought there was going to be a twist in the end where she doesn't pick after all for whatever reason but she did pick one of the men. I wasn't able to figure out which of the men she picked in the end. All in all, it was an okay read. This one is more family focused than romantic. If you're looking a light, don't-have-to-think-hard, feel-good read for the holidays pick up The Christmas Wedding.